Govt working on consensus to regulate TV news content

New Delhi: Government is in the process of
working out a consensus on formulating a Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) to regulate content on television channels for
sensitive issues, including Mumbai terror attack-like
incidents, official sources said.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni
recently spoke to Home Minister P Chidambaram to discuss what
kind of shape can be given to SOP, which would be a nodal
agency for news television channels, which will provide them
with regulated footage in the likelihood of a terror attack
taking place again, they said.

A consensus is currently being worked out within the
government over the issue, official sources in the I&B
ministry said.

This step on part of the ministry comes even though Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh had assured news television channel
representatives after the Mumbai attacks last year that there
will be no clamp down on them.

Even Soni, soon after assuming office last month, had
said with PM himself having given an assurance, the government
does not plan to bring in any regulation on news television
channels.

However, with efforts having begun on formulating the
SOP, the government has indicated that it is serious about
controlling media coverage of sensitive incidents.